Marina de Brito completed the Double Degree in Aerospace Engineering & Business Creation and Management, as well as the Qualifying Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid. Furthermore, she was recently recognised as the best engineering student of last year by the Spanish Society of Academic Excellence (SEDEA).
Marina de Brito, aeronautical engineer at Capgemini for Airbus and professor of Aerospace Engineering at Universidad Europea, is one of those women who has always strived to achieve her goals and objectives. It was during her last year of secondary school that she realised she wanted to study aerospace engineering, when she was surprised to see a commercial aeroplane out of the window. Shortly thereafter, she attended an open day at Universidad Europea, where she totally fell in love with the degree programme she would later complete here: the Double Degree in Aerospace Engineering & Business Creation and Management. Her desire to continue her education and to pursue a career in aeronautical engineering ultimately resulted in her studying the Qualifying Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Shortly before becoming an alumni of Universidad Europea, she received recognition as Spain’s best Aerospace Engineering student of 2019/2020 in the ranking of the Spanish Society for Academic Excellence (SEDEA). Among many other professional and academic achievements, Marina recently won the 'Aeronautical Innovation Award of 2022', awarded annually by the Official Association of Aeronautical Engineers in Spain (COIAE), for her project deVRito Software: ciencia inmersiva (immersive science). This project centres around virtual reality, and provides engineers with a tool for visualising and interpreting the Solar System in real time, with an unprecedented level of interaction with NASA’s SPICE database.
Q. Could you tell us a little more about the recognition you received from the Spanish Society for Academic Excellence (SEDEA)?
A. The SEDEA award was a big surprise and joy for me, as I never imagined I’d rank among the best graduates in the country, let alone in first place. It all began in the summer of 2020, when I saw an advert for SEDEA on social media. I realised I met the requirements, so I applied. The advert mentioned a job fair for graduates with good grades, and since I’d just finished my studies, I thought applying would help me to find a job.
Q. What are your upcoming challenges?
A. My main upcoming challenges are to do my bit for society by applying what I’ve learned over the years, and to advance the use of immersive technology, such as virtual reality, in the world of aeronautical engineering in both the space and aviation industries.
Q. Why did you choose Universidad Europea?
A. My main reasons for choosing Universidad Europea to complete my studies were the possibility of studying a double degree, which combines an engineering degree (Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering) with a social sciences degree (Bachelor's Degree in Business Creation and Management); as well as the possibility of studying the whole degree in English with the option of completing a dual programme in Aerospace Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid and the University of Hertfordshire in England, with the fourth year of the Engineering degree studied at the latter. This meant I was able to obtain a degree in Aerospace Engineering from both a Spanish and an English university, which opened up a great number of possibilities for work, allowed me to learn a lot both on an academic and personal level, and brought me great friendships with people from different cultures and walks of life. In addition, the teaching staff and student clubs have contributed a lot to my academic and personal life.
Q. As a student, alumni and professor, what advice would you give to students who are just beginning their studies or embarking on a new adventure into the working world?
A. To current undergraduates and postgraduates, my advice would be to never give up and to rely on support from the people closest to them, as all hard work pays off in the end.